When Jeremy Lin first popped up on the national scene about two weeks ago, few knew who he was or where he had gone to college.

Today, Lin has become something of a worldwide folk hero and has garnered praise for his sudden rise to stardom with the New York Knicks.

Lin's rise has brought on comparisons to other rags-to-riches type sports stories, but many have also been overlooked. The likes of Tom Brady, Kurt Warner and Tim Thomas may jump to mind initially, but there are many other sports stars who have risen from obscurity to superstardom, much like Lin.